Even though this time of year their mating plumage is gone and they are kinda drab looking waxwings are still one of my favorite birds to photograph so here is a 5 shot sequence taken the other day of one swollowing a berry... I can litteraly sit and watch these guys for hours and never get bored.

Getting the shot with the berry suspended in mid air has always been a highlight for me... funny thing is it wasn't till I "stopped" trying to get the shot that I actually started to get them somewhat consistantly.

If you see them and watch them in the spring pierovera they are still looking for berries that have lasted the winter. During this time they have also fermented so when they find a bush, after about 20 minutes or so, you have a bunch of drunk waxwings falling off branches.. having issues flying and all sorts of other strange goings on... they are absolutely hillarious to watch at that time of year.

Took a short drive yesterday around my property and came across a flock of 20 or so Tundra Swans which normally means the main goose and duck migration will be here in a day or 2. I had to skirt a marsh to get anywhere near the swans and that meant a 1.5km hike. As I was walking along the shores of the marsh I spooked up hundreds of ducks which means the duck migration at least is in full swing now. When I got within 150 meters of the swans 1/2 spooked right away and with them at least 100 ducks. I got on my belly and managed to get within 85 meters of the swans before they spooked but I got a few good take off picks which I will post in the next few days.

The weather is definately turning up here now and they are calling for snow all this week.... it wont stay of course but winter is just around the corner.

Another interesting sighting for me yest was a pheasent. I have never seen one anywhere near here as their range stops about 400km south of here just north of the north dakota/saskatchewan border... guess they are starting to move farther north as well. Had the right light for pics but he went into some high grass and when he flushed I couldnt get a lock on him . We have a farmer near me who raises pheasents and then allows hunters to come on his land and shoot em but he clips their wings so they are only capable of short flights of 20 meters or so. This one when flushed flew at least 300 meters so it was definately wild.

More Florida Feathered Friends...as you can see, these photos are up through September, which is when we started getting the fall migration in earnest - lots of the little passerines coming in the past month or two!